Charred Heart II: Not So Simple Kiss
by Akizakura202
Summary: Mixe doesn't return from a simple recon mission, raising questions amongst the Organization; little do they know it's to avoid a certain blonde, and his lips. A comedic, Spin-the-Bottle Kingdom Hearts one-shot. AxelOC, slight RoxasXion.


**Author's Note**: Hola! This is a sequel to my AkuMiku (Axel and OC) one-shot called Charred Heart (obviously.) I made this one a little more fun and has a bit more to do with Roxas and Mixe; the concept of this one-shot may have been more hilarious when in my head, but then I've read this like twelve times in trying to make everything flow so my opinion on the final product can't be trusted XD Also, Mixe is more visual of a character. I do like it, though, it was all in good fun; as you will see from the premise. It was originally going to be an installation for a Kiss Me Drabble Challenge on Quizilla, the "Simple Kiss," but I decided I didn't have time, patience, or enough ideas to come up with ten one-shots based solely on kisses. (Actually, look forward to a few more that I did.) I have two more one-shots for Mixe and Axel coming up, one of them inspired by the challenge, so keep an eye out for those. In the meantime, please enjoy---took me months to write this XP

Oh, and as much as I would've liked to have put dialogue for the pagebreaks, like I did for Charred Heart, but . . . it wouldn't've fit, sadly. And while I'm at it, no spoilers in this one-shot, I think, although it is set in the time of Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days. Note that later Roxas will say "RTC'd;" for those that haven't played the game, RTC stands for "Return to Castle."

Ah! **Disclaimer**, of course!: I don't own Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days

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**Charred Heart II: Not So Simple Kiss**

Mixe yawned hugely as she staggered in a slump through the door of her room. A Nobody of Organization XIII, Number XV, her domain was without anything making it personal, sharing the appearance of other Nobodies' rooms. Dressed in the black, hooded Organization coat, still, she collapsed onto the white blankets, instantly falling asleep.

**

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**

_Lilac eyes peeked from behind the veil of plum-colored bangs brushing her cheekbones of fair complexion. Mixe sat in a circle of Nobodies, beings without hearts, in-between Axel and Demyx; there were a total of seven, and only two were female, yet all watched as the little glass bottle in center spun to decide one's fate. More specifically, Mixe's._

_It was round one, and she had drawn the short straw, making her the first to spin. Strange, it seemed, for Nobodies—a majority of them seemingly in adulthood—to be playing a childish game in which one spun the bottle and kissed whomever the point was directed toward. Moreover, the amount of guys severely outnumbered the girls; curious, how they had conceded to play regardless._

_Mixe averted her eyes from the bottle momentarily to Axel's profile; the man for which she had given up her heart. He was watching the bottle spin indifferently with chartreuse orbs, beneath which were upside-down drop-like markings. His spiky, fiery red locks were slicked back. He seemed rather bored._

_A smile crept to Mixe's lips and she flicked a bang from over her eye to make it discontinue obstructing her view._

_Axel reacted to something before him and turned his head away from her a little. Following his gaze, Mixe's eyes fell on Roxas, whose azure eyes stared at her blankly in confusion. He also wore the typical Organization garb. His hair was blonde and spiky, however unlike Axel's, appeared windswept from the front._

"_Come on, Chatterbox," said Xigbar lazily. He was one of the older Nobodies, Number II, though despite his high ranking he did not hold a very executive position within the Organization. His dark hair streaked with grey was pulled back in a long ponytail and his face was scarred. An eye patch covered his left eye. "Pucker up, Tiger's waitin'!"_

_The short-haired, bearded man next to him with many piercing up his hears, Number X, Luxord, was shuffling cards. "Your fortune has been sealed herein."_

_Mixe blinked and looked at the bottle; she had not registered the nicknames thrown around by and for the Organization members, yet. To her dismay, the bottle was pointing at Roxas. She met his eyes—which still seemed lost in the situation—and then glanced at Axel. He appeared minutely discomforted; though the way he sat was still relaxed, he had averted his eyes, scowling, and had closed his hands as well as his mouth._

_The plum-haired Nobody shook her head and scrambled back a few paces on her bottom; with those actions she also took both hands to cover her mouth, as if to protect her lips. Demyx—the other handsome Nobody Mixe had been sitting next to with blues eyes and a brunette Mohawk—laughed along with Xigbar. "Looks like Roxas's got no game!"_

_Roxas gave an inquiring glance to the girl next to him, Xion. "Uh . . . game? I thought Spin the Bottle was the game. . . ."_

_Number XIV was the only girl in the game aside from Mixe. She had blue eyes, like Roxas, but her hair was black and parted on the left side of her head. In response to his question, she shrugged, just as clueless._

_Not looking at Mixe, Axel said quietly, "Just get it over with. . . ."_

"_This is juvenile," reprimanded Number III, Xaldin. Face as sharp as his tongue, his features were precisely defined with black sideburns pointing into his face. The blue-eyed Nobody used one of his black dreadlocks to hold most of the others in a makeshift ponytail._

"_It's one thing for Nobodies to act as if they care for human frivolities—," he glanced at Demyx, who was fixing a strand of hair to the Mohawk, "—but this game can only truly entertain teenagers with tickling hormones."_

"_As if!" scoffed Xigbar. "Like you don't have 'human frivolities'?"_

_Wistfully, Luxord added with starry eyes, "A game of chance with rewarding or devastating results."_

"_And Luxord couldn't be happier of he were readin' fortune cookies while playin' poker!" Xigbar turned his attention to where Mixe had been sitting. "Come on, so someone else can—where'd she go?"_

_Mixe's spot was empty._

**

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**

Number XV abruptly sat up on her knees, gently swaying as her hood came up and covered the top half of her face. Movement lacking grace and lucidity, she slid her left leg from beneath her and let it drop to the floor. She rested her weight on that leg and leaned to her left until her other leg began to unfold. Soon, she twisted to face the bed as she pulled her leg from atop it; unbalanced, she staggered a few steps before standing upright.

Mixe hardly murmured something coherent as she turned and stuck out her arm lazily. A Corridor of Darkness erupted into existence. "I don't wanna kiss Roxas. . . ." With her eyes closed, and still being completely asleep, Mixe stepped through the corridor.

**

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**

Roxas sat in one of the lower thrones of Where Nothing Gathers. A more fitting name would perhaps be "Where Nobodies Gather" because it was the place where Organization XIII held their meetings. Many of the thrones were empty, as the members had been terminated.

Number XIII, the Key of Destiny, simply stared forward and down at the white floor decorated with a grey Nobody crest from which the thrones had risen, drowning out the subject matter being discussed by Xemnas—Organization Number I, the leader—and Saix—Number VII, his second-in-command.

His eyes wandered toward Xion, opposite of him in a throne roughly the same height as his. She appeared to be just as bored as him; the two could hardly understand the goings-on in the meetings, therefore he found it futile to pay attention. He was not sure if she felt the same.

He allowed his eyes to wander more, to the lowest throne at his left. When he had first come to the Organization, that seat had been his, since they would vary in consideratio of number and succession of completed missions (with the exception of Xemnas, who was in the highest throne despite seemingly not taking on missions himself), and he had been the newest. Currently, it was vacant, but would be occupied by Mixe, if she were present.

He was a little concerned. It was unlike Mixe to be absent for so long. She would normally conclude her missions in a prompt manner—though took care to perform no less than exemplary—and then meet them at the Station Tower in Twilight Town for sea-salt ice cream. Though she did not say much, if anything, he was pretty sure that she looked forward to those moments like he, Axel, and Xion did.

The redhead was on a much higher throne than himself and Xion, having been a part of the Organization for a much longer frame of time and therefore had completed more missions. Roxas looked up toward Axel for the first time since the meeting had begun, catching him glancing towards Mixe's seat.

_I wonder if Axel's worried,_ he thought. Although he was sure that she was special to him, he did not comprehend quite what that meant. Being a Nobody without remembrance of his life as a Somebody, Roxas was much like a newborn child; his mind was a clean slate, absorbing new concepts that most Nobodies had carried over. One of these concepts was relationships.

Due to Axel's explanations and declarations, he had an idea of what friendship and best friends were—it was all something he, Axel, Xion, and Mixe shared. Axel had clarified, once, that he and Roxas were best friends. At first, the blonde had assumed it was friendship between the Flurry of Dancing Flames and the Reticent Captivation; however, he acted differently with her than with him or Xion, sometimes sneaking away for reasons unknown. When curiosity had gotten the better of Xion and Roxas, they had one time tried following them, but the two had hid themselves too well.

He could remember asking Axel about her sometime, but he had not received a specific answer. In fact, like his answers about love and other subjects, the redheaded Nobody seemed to have had great difficulty finding a way to explain, tongue-tied and rubbing the back of his head as he thought. Then, he had blushed and said, "When she kisses me, I feel . . . good. I hadn't felt like that since before."

After that, Roxas had teased him about the blush. Subsequently, he had forgotten to ask what a "kiss" was.

He made a mental note to do that later.

**

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**

The Grey Area in the Castle That Never Was had a large glass wall on the exterior side of the room, allowing one view of the dark sky illuminated by the heart-shaped moon known as Kingdom Hearts. Some white couches and coffee tables were the sole decoration in the colorless room.

Roxas passed by the furnishings, which on his right was occupied by Demyx playing his sitar, toward Axel and Xion. The latter watched him with a smile whereas the former leaned against the glass with his arms crossed, appearing idle in mind and body.

"Hey, Roxas," the girl greeted. Happily, she remarked, "You and me get to go on a mission together, today. We're collecting hearts in Twilight Town."

He returned the smile. "Cool. Betcha I can collect more than you."

"Ha ha, you can try," she teased. Over her shoulder, she spoke to Axel. "Hey, Axel. Where are you going today?"

Broken from his thoughts, he turned his gaze toward them with a look of surprise. Roxas smirked. "Who's the zombie now?"

The redheaded Nobody snorted, looking down. Arms remaining crossed, he said, "Wonderland, where Mixe's last mission was. The Organization finally decided she's been gone long enough, so they're sending me to see why she isn't back yet—and to rectify it."

"That place with the Card Soldiers, and the queen?" The blonde tilted his head a little. "That place was pretty big and bizarre. She's probably just not done, yet, then." He relaxed a little. "Remember when Xion wasn't coming back? We found her still trying to take out the Veil Lizard in Twilight Town."

The girl smiled sheepishly.

"I don't know . . . it was a simple recon mission, and it's Mixe. Those missions are a breeze for anyone." He paused and thought, glancing up. "But she's not a strong fighter. If she was supposed to be eliminating a Heartless, I'd buy it."

_So . . . he is worried._ "But then why hasn't she RTC'd?"

Axel shrugged and lifted himself away from the window. "That's the million dollar question, isn't it? That's what I'm going to find out." He grinned over his shoulder. "Me 'n' Mixe'll see you at the tower for ice cream."

Xion and Roxas both offered their valedictions and watched him leave. The latter watched with thoughtful eyes before realizing something. Under his breath, he muttered, "I forgot to ask him what a 'kiss' was. . . ."

Xion heard him and raised a brow. "A 'kiss'? What's that?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, that's why I was going to ask. Axel said it feels 'good,' though."

"Good . . . how?"

"I don't know . . . I didn't ask. He was blushing, so I teased him." With a downcast expression, probably because he could not provide an answer for her, he added, "I should've. . . ."

She lowered her head and brought her hand up to her chin, speculating. "Hmm. . . ." Smiling at him, she lowered her hand and said, "Don't worry about it Roxas. We'll finish our mission quickly and ask him at the tower."

"Yeah." He nodded and smiled.

**

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**

A hooded Mixe was curled into a ball, sitting with her temple resting on her knees and her knees drawn up to her chest. She was in the corner of a maze appearing to consist of healthy green hedges, leaning against them with no regard for the minor discomfort provided.

She stirred a little, rolling her head so her visage faced her knees when she lifted her head sleepily. Yawning greatly, she reached beneath her hood with one hand and rubbed her eyes, stretching up with the other. In a minuscule lament, she groaned when reached toward the sky with both hands, wanting to go back to sleep.

Despite that thought she stood up, gazing around the plain little corner within which she stood; a small, self-satisfied smile crossed her lips. She had found the perfect hiding place—she had been thorough in mentally-mapping the maze on her reconnaissance mission, therefore she was certain that she knew it better than anyone else.

Not that she had encountered reason to use that knowledge, yet. From the look of the situation, she may not need it at all. A few days had passed since she had escaped the Organization's Spin-the-Bottle—she was quite sure enough time had passed to where no one would care to make her sully her lips with the kiss of someone different than Axel.

Mixe began leaving her little nook with the fleeting wonderment of Axel's reaction to her running from the kiss. Would he be angry, or worried from her long absence? Pondering this as she tapped her chin with her finger, she walked in a dawdling-type stroll, now in no hurry to RTC.

She continued passed an opening in the hedge, spotting two giant cards a distance away. These cards were human-esque in that they had the limbs, hands, and—for the most part—faces of men; obviously, this also insinuated that they had eyes, so before they saw her Mixe darted out of the opening and laid her back flat against the hedge.

Careful not to be seen, she peeked around the corner, taking one hand to pull back the side of her hood so it was not obstructing her view of the cards. One was an ace of heart whereas the other was a nine of spades; both carried pikes respective of their suit as they conversed with one another. She could not hear them very well—in fact she only caught scraps including "protect" and "Queen's Garden"—but due to their casual demeanor, she would assume that they had not been alerted to her presence.

It was convenient how her stalking abilities from her time as a human aided her rather well as a Nobody of Organization XIII.

Smiling to herself, the Reticent Captivation turned her body away from the hedge and continued walking, lingering her gaze in the direction of the Cards. When they were out of her sight, she twisted to face forward—but stopped so abruptly that she had to balance on the tips of her toes and spread out her arms widely so as not to fall forward and collide with the posterior of another Spade.

Jaw clenched with unease, she leaned back, putting some distance between them and finding her heels on the ground. She had no idea why he was proceeding backwards, however she would indubitably use it to her advantage. A few inches in front of him was another opening in the hedge to the left. Sneaky, she turned with his head, staying behind his line of sight until she had opportunity to slip by into that corridor.

Mixe proceeded backwards, confirming that she had sidled by unseen. Yet again she smiled, feeling complacent for her "mad skillz," when she began to turn in order to saunter forth. Near her was another opening, through which someone dressed in a black cloak was stepping. While she was turning, her shoulder came in contact with his chest.

Acting before she thought, the plum-haired Nobody struck his face and ran back a few feet as she summoned her weapon in her right hand. In a dark flash, a red-hilted katana with a metallic, light blue blade appeared, beautiful in design but minutely awkward in the way it was held. She held it at her side with a single hand, but did not have it in a fight-ready position like most would.

She looked up at the face of whom she had bumped into a gaped, covering her mouth with her free hand. Standing before her was not a Card Soldier like she had anticipated; her victim held chakrams—disc-weapons with holes for the user's fingers—in either hand. Axel placed the back of his hand against a cheek decorated with a red handprint.

They had sent him to come after her! The Organization was persistent in even trivial matters, it appeared—for them to chase her because she had run away from Spin the Bottle, that is. And sending AXEL, of all Nobodies!

Before he recovered from shock and spoke, Mixe stuck out her left arm and a Corridor of Darkness opened. Not a second later did she jump in and disappear, closing the pathway behind her.

Axel watched with wide eyes the spot where the Corridor had been summoned; he was in total conundrum. His cheek still stung, despite that the blow had been softened lightly by her glove—or maybe because it had been leather. She had slapped him so _forcefully._ "What did _I_ do . . . ?" he muttered.

**

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**

Mixe could remember one time when "Mei" was a child; she thought back on that memory as she bided her time in the ballroom of Beast's Castle. It was the only room that was not full of stygian despondency; its warm, orange hues reminded her of Twilight Town.

The girl sat on the upper level, overlooking the ornate designs below. She had one leg dangling off the edge as she sat on the other. While she allowed her guard to be lowered for a spell—as the likelihood of someone else finding her so near the ceiling was slim—she was submerged in the reverie of a similar situation.

When she was a child, she and many of the Twilight Town youth had once sat in a circle with a ketchup bottle in the center. In that instance, she had a sketchpad in her lap and a crayon in her hand. Mei had been a plum-haired, lilac-eyed girl—the sole trait she and her Nobody did not share was the silver mark curving along the Nobody's cheek. Also, this girl had a different obsession.

Seifer, "Head of Twilight Town's Disciplinary Committee," (in current time); back then, he had simply been a bully. But that did not matter to Mei.

Like in Spin the Bottle with Organization XIII, she had hoped the bottle would land on her obsession; and also, in similarity, it had landed on someone else. That first time, it had landed on Hayner, Seifer's rival (or victim; sometimes, it was hard to distinguish which.)

Her reaction had been nearly the same as well. She had run away, but only after Hayner had reluctantly leaned in; in response, she had backed away and lifted her sketch in defense, causing him to kiss a drawing of Seifer instead. If one was to look at it technically, she had given him a kiss after all; the little boy's lips touched the drawing of Seifer's.

Now that she thought of it, that technicality and the fact that she had not been chased afterwards were the sole differences in the scenarios. . . .

Mixe lifted her left hand and stared at it sadly, remembering when it had struck Axel's face. She could admit to herself that she was responsible for the ridiculous nature the situation had taken on. Slapping Axel had been an accident; however, she knew that was no excuse. Somehow, she had to make it right—hopefully without touching lips with Roxas. . . .

She removed the glove and stared at her naked palm, thoughtfully tilting her head. Her other hand took a finger and touched the mound of her thumb. The outline of puckered lips was drawn invisibly; a smile broke over hers.

She knew how to rectify this.

**

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**

Another day passed, and Mixe still had not returned to the Organization. Axel had been absent from the clock tower after his mission to attempt retrieving her; yet he had been present at the Castle That Never Was. When Roxas had tried inquiring about the mission, he was denied information; in fact, the redhead had been rather taciturn.

Roxas sighed. Even if he had questioned him about a kiss, he imagined he would have received no reply. After his solo mission, the blonde went to the Station Tower as he did every day. He wore a downcast expression, half-expecting the ledge to be empty; at the same time he told himself there was no guarantee that would be for long; simply because Mixe and Axel had not been by did not mean that he would never show again and there was Xion to look forward to as well.

To his surprise, when he walked toward the Station Tower's edge, someone was present; however she was not Xion. She turned toward him, a petite member of the Organization who wore her hood up. At first, he had thought she might be Xion, as she had at one time worn the Organization coat that way, but then he had taken notice of the visible part of her face beneath the hood; a silver line curved down her cheek.

He stopped and stared incredulously. "Mixe? You're back?"

In true Mixe-fashion, she did not respond with words but by a smile and nod. She stepped down from the ledge and walked toward him, at which time Roxas noticed that her left hand was naked and she carried with her a red marker.

"Where've you been? We were worried about you."

Mixe stopped a few steps in front of him, tilting her head in minute confusion. Even so, she did not voice the transient inquiry and took up one of his hands. Without providing explanation, she reached just under his sleeve and began to remove his glove.

Roxas raised a brow, staring at her with uncertainty. He opened his mouth, ready to ask if she was crazy and what she was doing, when he wondered if this could in fact be normal. In the many days since his joining of the Organization, the only days of his remembrance, it had never occurred, but maybe to other Nobodies it had happened before. . . . Plus, it was dubious she would elucidate. "Uh. . . ."

She finished removing the glove and laid the back of his hand in her naked palm. Next, in disregard of Roxas's even more inquisitive expression, she brought up the red marker to her mouth and popped off the cap with her teeth. Positioning his hand so she could see the base of his palm well, she took the tip of the marker and began drawing.

Roxas's expression softened, noticing for the first time he was a smidgen shorter than his plum-haired friend. She was standing close to him, her shoulder nearly brushing under his chin; to assume the right position for the angle she desired, she nearly had to stand in the crook of his arm. He still wondered what she was up to, but for a moment that was pushed aside when he was able to peek beneath her hood. Her eyes, hardly visible per her hair, were full of sly excitement, almost presenting in a smirk as if she had fabricated a devious little plan.

Coupling that with the situation more than tripled his wonder, adding to it a sense of foreboding.

He remained silent as she continued to draw on his hand. Positioning kept him from seeing exactly what she drew, but at one point she was making very small strokes; those tickled more than the previous as they were brushed lightly and quickly. Whatever she was drawing, she was going deeply into detail.

The tip of the marker soon left his skin and Mixe took his hand in both of hers, examining her work; he noticed a subtle tilt of her head as she twirled her marker and used it to create one more stroke on the drawing. Satisfied, she gave a curt nod and turned, taking a step back and facing him.

While she turned her attention to her hand, Roxas looked at the drawing she had left behind on his. On the mound at the base of his thumb, closer to his wrist, it now looked as if a woman with succulent red lips had kissed it and left behind a lipstick smudge—though it appeared too perfect to be real.

Roxas stared at it with a confused furrow in his brow. To a Nobody who did not yet know what a kiss was, the shape of the lips and what they looked like was an anomaly. "Mixe . . . ?"

Ignoring the address, she capped the marker after putting the finishing touches on her own hand; her gloved fingers closed around the marker and that hand dropped to her side. Mutely, as one would expect, she leveled her gaze with his. The smile was still on her face as she laced the fingers of their naked hands and made their "lips" touch.

The blonde stared from their joined hands to her face to their hands once more. She had turned her gaze toward the clock, watching the secondhand tick by impatiently. Millions of questions were buzzing in Roxas's mind as he glanced at the clock too, wondering what they were waiting for.

After approximately thirty seconds, the plum-haired Nobody released his hand. She handed his glove back to him and raised her hand, pulling on her own to cover the lip drawing. "It's over now. We've kissed."

"Huh?" the dumbstruck blonde dropped his jaw and gazed at the palm of his hand; the lip stain was a little smeared now. THAT was the anomaly that had been pestering him? The action Axel and Mixe did in secret that brought them satisfaction? He had felt nothing! Perhaps a little weird since he had never had naked skin touching the naked skin of another, but not "good" in the way he though maybe Axel meant.

"Uh—" He lifted his head, ready to ask Mixe, but she was already walking away. When he called her name, she simply waved her hand in valediction and continued on. Roxas blinked and closed his mouth, staring at his hand again.

Five words of explanation left even more questions.

". . . ! She can talk!?"

**

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**

Mixe sat down against Axel's bedroom door, curling with her knees to her chest and the small of her back leaning against the door. She was alone in the hall, biding her time until Axel would return. Rather impatient, she was tapping her foot and turning her head both ways, curiously looking for giant red spikes.

She exhaled an idle sigh and stared at her hand intently; it was the same one she had used to "kiss" Roxas . . . and slap Axel.

It was due to the latter that she was positioned where she sat.

Eventually Axel appeared in the hall after another day spent searching for Mixe. He was looking at the ground, and most likely would have been walking with his hands in his pockets if there were any on the typical Organization garb. Another day he had spent searching for Mixe, and it had proven fruitless. Very soon, he knew, the order would be given to terminate her if she did not appear. Had they known of her retaliatory actions the day before, it would have already.

Her presence was unknown to him until he was a few feet away and she stood; he stopped in his tracks.

Silence.

Mixe lifted her head and met his gaze; she opened her mouth, raising herhand to her chest. Even though her mouth opened, as if wishing to speak, she instead stared. Axel's expression was stoic and moderate as he directly looked at her.

"Are you back?" He saw her nod. "What took you so long? Why didn't you come back when the mission was done?" Almost bitterly he noted, "You were pretty quick to leave when I showed up."

Immediately the female Nobody shook her head and waved her hands in front of her, taking a step forward. She further approached him after a dithering moment. Her eyes were not visible, but the curve of her mouth was in a small pout. In front of him, she reached up and tenderly brushed the tips of her fingers on his cheek.

He looked away from her again, tightening his brow. "Hey, don't worry about that. You're not exactly macho, you know, and there was nothing to scratch. I'm not hurt."

She appeared unconvinced or twice contrite. Her hand brushed down his cheek to his shoulder as she pulled her hood back. On the tips of her toes she stood and closed her eyes, gingerly kissing beside his mouth. He glanced at her as she lingered; when she finished the kiss, she lowered her lips and rested her forehead in their place, sealing the warmth.

"Is that an apology?"

She nodded.

The redhead smirked and lifted his hand, placing it on top of her head. "You're a weird little girl . . . you're not going to be able to get Xemnas to forgive you by the same method." He gently pushed her down so she stood normally and pulled her head back so he could look her in the eye. "You still haven't told me why you didn't come back."

She raised a brow; again he was questioning her, as if he had not been present when the bottle landed on Roxas. . . .

"What? You won't explain it to me, huh?" He sighed and closed his eyes, stepping away from her. Still holding the back of her head, her turned her around and guided her like a child. "Come on. If you don't want to be turned into a Dusk, you'd better start groveling."

**

* * *

**

Sometime later, Axel and Mixe exited Where Nothing Gathers; the latter's face was completely red whereas the former covered his mouth with one hand and held his gut with the other. With very little success he was trying to contain his laughter.

Mixe turned her gaze toward him, crossed her arms, and glared. Her "seriously dangerous" expression pushed him over the edge, and he burst, laughing so hard that she stumbled. The plum's face turned into an even darker tomato as her shoulders rose to her burning ears. Sulky, she stuck out her tongue and blew a giant raspberry at him.

It took a few moments for him to control his laughter enough to speak; his stomach muscles were straining. "So—ha ha ha!—This _whole_ thing is because you _dreamt_ the Organization was playing—hah, 'Spin-the-Bottle,' and you landed on _Roxas?_ You ran away in the dream—," he paused for a few escaping chuckles and then calmed himself a little, "—and sleepwalked in reality . . . and when you woke up, you thought it was _real?_"

She narrowed her eyes.

He straightened and continued to grin from ear-to-ear; a wicked glint crossed his eyes. "And you let Roxas think this is a kiss?" He touched his palms together. Chuckling still, he rubbed his palms together. "So then, is this 'making out'?"

She continued to pout, glaring daggers.

"Come on, Mixe, quit lookin' at me like that; laugh about it." The Flurry of Dancing Flames laid a hand on the Reticent Captivation's opposite shoulder. "If you don't want to, we don't have to explain it to Xion and Roxas; who cares?" He pictured once more Mixe and Roxas's "kiss." "Pfft! The look on his face!"

The pout remained in place momentarily whilst she averted her eyes and thought back; the blonde had seemed rather confused about the ordeal. Her mouth curved up a little, and she giggled. Part of her wondered what he might even be doing currently, if he was still confused. . . .

**

* * *

**

Xion's brow was furrowed in confusion and concentration as she stared at her gloveless palm. In her other hand she held a red marker and was pushing the tip against her skin. A few times, every now and then, she glanced over at Roxas's hand, which still had the lips that had been drawn by Mixe.

They say next to each other on the Station Tower; only an hour or so after Mixe had "kissed" Roxas.

Number XIV pulled the marker away from her hand and examined her work, comparing it to Mixe's. She had also drawn a lipstick smudge, though her appeared to be less detailed and minutely crooked. "Hey, that's not bad, "Roxas complimented.

She smiled. "Thanks. So . . . ," she hesitated and placed her "lips" against his; he laced their fingers like him and Mixe had, ". . . _this_ is a kiss?"

He nodded. "That's what she said. 'It's over now. We've kissed.'"

"Why do you have to draw the lips? Can't you just do it without?"

"I don't know. . . ." He lowered his gaze. "But she spent so much time making them . . . I think they're important."

She lowered her head and regarded their joined hands for a moment longer before separating their hands. While he proceeded to put on his glove, she stared at the "lips" a little longer prior to following suit. In silence, they looked out toward the sunset.

Tomorrow, finally, normalcy for the Nobodies would be restored, and all Roxas, Xion, Axel, and Mixe would be on the Station Tower, together eating sea-salt ice cream.

**End of Charred Heart II: Not So Simple Kiss**

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Thanks for reading, God bless! Please, leave a review :D Especially if you'd like more AkuMiku one-shots---the ones to come will have some comedy, but I think the next one will be taking me back to my romance-junkie roots.


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